Fire crews battle blaze on giant fishing vessel in Tacoma

TACOMA — Flames erupted overnight in a giant fishing vessel moored at the Port of Tacoma, and firefighters were still on scene battling the blaze on Thursday morning.

The fire broke out just before 11 p.m. Wednesday in the 233-foot vessel Aleutian Falcon as it was docked at the Port of Tacoma’s Pier 12 at Trident Seafoods. Several hours later, crews were still trying to get the flames under control, KOMO-TV reported.

The flames could be seen from State Route 509 as three fire boats sprayed water onto the ship.

“Our biggest concern right now is the Aleutian Falcon at this point. It does have reportedly approximately 48,000 gallons of diesel fuel aboard. If it does go down or roll over then we will definitely have a possibility of a large fuel spill,” said Tacoma Assistant Fire Chief Alex Wilsie.

No one has been hurt so far and no evacuation orders have been in place. Crews were able to keep the fire from spreading, and booms were put in place to help minimize potential environmental impacts to the waterway.

In a Thursday morning update on Twitter, Tacoma Fire said the fire continued to burn but was well under control and had been contained to the Aleutian Falcon. Officials said the vessel’s ammonia tanks “that were of great concern have been continuously cooled and are intact at this time.”

Fire officials say any people living in the area impacted by the smoke conditions should continue to shelter in place.